Hey congratulations to Mike Brown and his contract extension. He has earned it in every way - not only back to back 50 win seasons and a trip to the finals, but more than that, has established a culture, and a blueprint for success, long term success, by doing things the right way, with down to the most minute detail.
It goes far beyond his defense first mentality, to how he treats people. Players, assistants, personnel staff, media, fans. Mike gets it - you have to be a good person first and foremost and be true to yourself or players will see right through it.
Mike is the 12th head coach I have had the pleasure of working with in the NBA. It all started with Bill Fitch on down through the likes of Doug Collins and Larry Brown. Brilliant coaches in their own way and I’m here to tell you, they don’t make them any better than Mike because he has built his platform on hard work and honesty. In other words, he has no personal agenda…he only wants to win, and give his players the credit. Those attributes are not always a slam dunk in coaching.
The assistants are given latitude to coach and teach without feeling like they are infringing on Mike’s authority and he allows his players to take ownership in the overall body of work. We always talk about LeBron James being only 23 and having an incredible future. Well, Mike is only 37 years old, and like LeBron, will only get better. He readily admits he will continue to learn as a head coach.
As LeBron says, today is good for the Cavaliers franchise, and for him personally, Mike has helped him grown as a defensive player.
When I asked Danny Ferry who Mike reminds him of, he quickly smiled and said, Gregg Popovich - a pretty good role model.
Mike has quickly become a Cleveland gem and time will prove his staying power.
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